Goalkeepers are best of friends

STANDING between the sticks can be the most isolated place in a football stadium on match day.

You haven't got a partner like a centre-back to encourage and organise you or give you a mouthful when concentration is slipping.

You haven't got ten players behind you like a centre forward, acting as a safety net if you make a mistake. All that is there is the white, chalky line.

You are on your own; an individual within a team and one mistake could be the difference between three points and one, promotion and relegation.

But that's not how Rotherham's summer signing Scott Loach sees things.

The 26-year-old, signed from Ipswich Town, sees himself as part of a goalkeepers' union that stick together and push each other to their physical limits.

Loach and last season's Wembley hero Adam Collin have become good friends since they began their battle for the number one jersey.

Loach said: “Me and Adam get on really well, we room together and we have become really close friends.

“I've said to his face that when he is playing I will back him 100 per cent and on nights like last Tuesday he will back me 100 per cent, so I've got no qualms with him starting.

People always talk about the hatred between goalkeepers and all that but it's not like that here, we are part of a goalkeepers' union.”

With that in mind, it is no wonder that Loach is bedding in well in his new home and settling into a team that is known for its spirit and camaraderie.

He said: “I'm really enjoying it. It's slightly different to anywhere else I have been with a high intensity and it's very full on.

“But that's why the boys are where they are, I've enjoyed every minute of it so far and now it's about adapting and becoming part of a successful squad.”

Making his first competitive start for the Millers in their Capital Cup first round victory last week, Loach made one or two fine saves to deny the Fleetwood front line and worked hard to keep a clean sheet.

He said: “It's nice to have ticked off my official debut and nice to keep a clean sheet with a few saves thrown in there too.

“From a selfish point of view it's nice to show everyone what I can do, so the scoreline couldn't have been any better for me really.

“I have to praise the lads in front of me because for 120 minutes they were very solid.”

But make no bones about it, Loach hasn't come to the New York to play second fiddle to Collin and, after his successful debut, he now has his eyes firmly on the starting spot.

He said: “Absolutely, I want to be in the first team but the main priority is getting the team to do well.

“I've come here to play but it's about biding my time and waiting for my chance.

“I'm pretty sure when I get my chance, I'll take it, but like I said, in the meantime me and Adam will help each other out every day in training and be there for each other.”